John F. Kennedy Assassination: CIA Reports

Description

The CIA reports concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy consist of a substantial collection of 1,287 pages. These documents were primarily created in the aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963, and they have been copied from records stored at the National Archives.

The timeline for these files spans from December 9, 1960, until October 20, 1964.

A significant portion of this documentation focuses on Lee Harvey Oswald’s time in the Soviet Union as well as his trip to Mexico City roughly two and a half months prior to President Kennedy’s assassination. The CIA developed a detailed narrative chronology that outlines the activities of the Oswalds while in the Soviet Union between October 1959 and November 1962. This chronology is based on various sources, including personal papers, interviews, and both official and unofficial correspondence. There is also a report titled “Name List with Traces,” which lists individuals in the Soviet Union who were known to or mentioned by Oswald and his wife, Marina Oswald. This report contains identifying details related to each name listed.

Noteworthy elements from this collection include:

An affidavit signed by CIA Director John A. McCone, affirming that Lee Harvey Oswald was neither an agent nor an employee nor an informant for the CIA.

A translated transcript of a phone call intercepted between Cuban President Dorticos and Cuba’s Ambassador to Mexico, Joaquin Hernandez Armas, which occurred on November 26, 1963.

A report dated February 17, 1964, prepared for the Warren Commission, titled “Soviet Use of Assassination and Kidnapping.” This document provides insights from multiple sources regarding the KGB’s use of assassination and kidnapping methods to eliminate perceived adversaries of the USSR abroad.

Additionally, there is a report by Richard Helms, who would later become the Director of Central Intelligence and was at the time the Deputy Director for Plans. This report outlines a 45-minute discussion that took place between journalist Drew Pearson and Soviet Chairman Nikita Khrushchev in Cairo on May 24, 1964, where they touched upon the topic of Kennedy’s assassination. A document was created to address a request made by J. Lee Rankin, the General Counsel for the Warren Commission, regarding Soviet methods of “brainwashing.” The document is named “Soviet Research and Development in the Field of Direction and Control of Human Behavior.”

Another report authored by Richard Helms for the Warren Commission discusses the CIA’s decisions about whether to approve or reject certain documents that were submitted to the commission. This includes recommendations for changes and substitutions of specific reports prior to their public release by the Warren Commission.

There are analyses evaluating global responses to President Kennedy’s assassination, with a particular emphasis on reactions from the Soviet Union and Cuba.

In-depth reports delve into the life history of Marina Oswald and her family, including an exploration of her experiences while living in the Soviet Union across several documents.

The titles of these reports include:

• Translated Interrogation Records of Silvia Duran
• Examination of Global Responses to the Murder of President Kennedy
• Recommended Questions for Marina Oswald
• Timeline of Oswald’s Life in the U.S.S.R
• Biographical Details About Marina Oswald and Her Relatives
• Data Collected by the CIA Concerning Lee Harvey Oswald’s Activities in Mexico City from September 28 to October 3, 1963
• Soviet Tactics Involving Assassination and Abduction
• Summary of Findings Related to Claims Made by Mohammed Reggab Regarding Marina Oswald
• Information Held by the CIA Concerning Lee Harvey Oswald Before November 22, 1963
• Claims Suggesting Oswald Was Interviewed by the CIA in Moscow
• Information Shared with the Secret Service but Not Yet Given to the Presidential Commission
• CIA’s Perspective on the Conditions Leading to Oswald’s Acceptance by the Soviet Government in 1959
• Guidelines for Sharing Information with the Secret Service; CIA Suggestions Concerning Presidential Security
• Interactions Between the Oswalds and Soviet Nationals from June 13, 1962, to November 22, 1963
• Marina Oswald’s Journal
• Access Lee Harvey Oswald Had to Sensitive Information Pertaining to the U-2 Spy Plane
• The Cuban Intelligence Agency’s Role in Managing Visa Applications; Their Response Following President Kennedy’s Assassination.

Timeline of Events

Please note: This timeline is based solely on the provided excerpt, which focuses heavily on the CIA’s perspective and investigation of Lee Harvey Oswald. It does not represent a comprehensive timeline of the JFK assassination.

Pre-Assassination:

• October 1959 – November 1962: Lee Harvey Oswald and Marina Oswald reside in the Soviet Union. This period is documented in a CIA-produced annotated timeline based on personal documents, interviews, and correspondence.
• September 28 – October 3, 1963: Lee Harvey Oswald visits Mexico City. The CIA investigates this trip extensively.
• November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Post-Assassination:

• November 26, 1963: The CIA intercepts a phone conversation between Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado and the Cuban Ambassador to Mexico, Joaquín Hernández Armas, discussing the assassination.
• December 9, 1960 – October 20, 1964: The CIA produces numerous reports related to the assassination, primarily focused on Lee Harvey Oswald and his potential connections to Cuba and the Soviet Union.
• February 17, 1964: The CIA prepares a report for the Warren Commission titled “Soviet Use of Assassination and Kidnapping,” examining KGB techniques.
• May 24, 1964: CIA Deputy Director for Plans, Richard Helms, reports on a conversation between journalist Drew Pearson and Soviet Chairman Nikita Khrushchev regarding the assassination.
• Undated: The CIA provides the Warren Commission with information on Soviet “brainwashing” techniques and analyzes global reactions to the assassination, particularly from the Soviet Union and Cuba.

Cast of Characters

• John F. Kennedy: President of the United States, assassinated on November 22, 1963.
• Lee Harvey Oswald: Identified as the assassin of President Kennedy. The CIA reports extensively investigate his time in the Soviet Union and his visit to Mexico City prior to the assassination.
• Marina Oswald: Wife of Lee Harvey Oswald. The CIA investigates her background and connections in the Soviet Union.
• John A. McCone: Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He issued a sworn affidavit stating that Lee Harvey Oswald was not an agent, employee, or informant of the CIA.
• Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado: President of Cuba at the time of Kennedy’s assassination. The CIA intercepts a phone call between him and the Cuban Ambassador to Mexico discussing the assassination.
• Joaquín Hernández Armas: Cuban Ambassador to Mexico. Participated in the intercepted phone call with President Dorticós.
• Richard Helms: Deputy Director for Plans of the CIA, later became Director of Central Intelligence. Reported on a conversation between Drew Pearson and Nikita Khrushchev concerning the assassination and the CIA’s handling of information provided to the Warren Commission.
• J. Lee Rankin: General Counsel for the Warren Commission, requested information on Soviet “brainwashing” techniques from the CIA.
• Drew Pearson: American journalist who met with Nikita Khrushchev and discussed the Kennedy assassination.
• Nikita Khrushchev: Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union. Discussed the Kennedy assassination with Drew Pearson.

Note: This cast list includes only individuals explicitly named in the provided excerpt. Other key figures involved in the assassination and its investigation are not mentioned.